Mariah Carey’s career is the perfect example of what raw talent and sheer resilience can do.
With 19 self-written Billboard Hot 100 number one hits and five Grammys to her name, there’s no doubt she’s easily one of the most talented musicians of our generation. Tonight, the singer will be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 VMAs, and deservedly so. From fun treatments such as the “Fantasy” and “Heartbreaker” videos to delivering high glam with “We Belong Together” and “It’s Like That” to showcasing her humor in “Touch My Body” and “Obsessed,” Mimi has made sure her visuals are just as iconic as her vocals.
Ahead of the awards show, look back at some of her moments at the VMAs over the years.
Grand Debut
Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Fresh on the scene, Mimi was snapped arriving to the 1991 show, sporting a pink dress and silver shawl, with her curls on full display.
Curly-Riah
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
“Curly-Riah” (the term fans affectionately coined for her curly hair era), was all smiles as she moved about the show.
Diva to Diva
KMazur/WireImage
Carey and longtime friend Whitney Houston delivered one heck of a diva off at the 1998 — all in good fun, of course. The two singers opened the show with a skit in which they both showed up wearing the same “custom” Vera Wang dress and tried to one up each other. The winner? Us, the audience.
Legs for Days
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
She later posed for photos in a shorter version of the dress, showing off her famous legs— which were reportedly insured for a whopping $1 billion after she became the spokesperson for Gillette’s “Legs of a Goddess” campaign in 2006.
The Dress Heard Around the World
Ron Davis/Getty
Mariah Carey ditched the good-girl image for a sexy look when she wore this iconic two-piece ensemble at the 1997 VMAs. The singer had split from ex-husband Tommy Mottola, whom she described as “a completely controlling father or warden,” and she was reclaiming her voice and image. Their divorce was finalized the following year.
An Emancipated Chanteuse
KMazur/WireImage
The last time Carey attended the MTV VMAs was 20 years ago in 2005. She sang a medley of songs from her album The Emancipation of Mimi.
Bonus: Mariah Takes Japan
Nathan Shanahan/WireImage
Only because we have a feeling Mimi directed this lighting herself, the singer held her trophy while wearing a flowy red number at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan in 2005.
